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One hundred and seven researchers,
faculty members and public informa-tion
officers from across the state
recently attended the NSF Science:
Becoming the Messenger workshop in
Norman to learn how to effectively
communicate scientific research to
individuals outside of academia. The
event was sponsored by the National
Science Foundation, Oklahoma
Experimental Program to Stimulate
Competitive Research (OK EPSCoR)
and the National Weather Center.
With funding agencies placing stronger
emphasis on broader impacts criterion and
researchers competing for a limited number
of grant dollars, it is becoming increasing
important for scientists to learn how to share
the “man-on-the-street”
relevance of their research
with citizens and legislators.
Alan I. Leshner, executive
publisher of Science maga-zine
and CEO of AAAS,
was quoted in a 2009 news
release as saying, “Issues at the intersection
of science and society—from human embry-onic
stem cell research to evolution, and from
the study of “personal” topics such as sexual
behaviors, to global climate change and
vaccine development—may also drive some
scientists to hone their presentation skills. At
the same time, a weak economy may tend to
prompt researchers and the lay public alike
to become increasingly aware of the relation-ship
between scientific capacity and national
prosperity.”
“Everyone needs a fun-damental
understanding
and comfort with science
and technology in order
to prosper in a modern
society. It’s also true that communication
between science and society must be posi-tive
and strong in order for science to thrive,”
said Leshner.
continued on page 2
A Q U A R T E R L Y N E W S L E T T E R P R O M O T I N G S T E M R E S E A R C H I N O K L A H O M A
Science: Becoming the Messenger
ROA AWARDS
Regional university
faculty members
receive Summer 2011
Research Opportunity
Awards.
IMMERSION IN
RESEARCH
Environmental
Microbiology and
Biotechnology
Summer Program
WOMEN
ENTREPRENEURS
INSPIRE
CONFERENCE
Women changing the
world, one venture at
a time.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Mark your calendars to
attend these upcoming
P2 OK EPSCoR events! Page 2
2
P3 Page 3
4
P3 Page 3
3
P2 Page 2
2
Research Connection Rc
vol. 8
spring 2011
BREAKING REPORT!
SCIENCE IN THE NEWS
continued from page 1
NSF assembled an impressive team of com-municators
and trainers at the workshop to
help members of the scientific community
become more effective messengers, including
Emmy award-winning television producer Joe
Schreiber, bestselling science author Chris
Mooney, and Buffy Cushman-Patz, NSF’s
Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellow.
Researchers attending the conference learned
how to craft a message and effectively deliver it
to a variety of audiences. Live interview training,
video production best practices, public presenta-tion
and new media skills were also highlighted.
A special breakout session for public informa-tion
officers was designed to build collabora-tion
between PIOs and NSF Public Affairs.
Seventeen researchers were invited to attend
a second day of training, where they learned
to further refine their messages and honed
skills that will enable them to talk more effec-tively
to their colleagues, public audiences and
the media. PBS television was on-site on day
two of the workshop to interview Mooney and
a researcher participant for a future broadcast.
Dana Topousis, NSF’s head of media and
public affairs, has said, “The world is changing
so much. We’re finding it ever-more important
for researchers to be able to communicate
with audiences that may not understand their
research, and to be able to speak on their
own behalf. Researchers themselves need to
be able to communicate their work to gener-ate
broad public support for their goals.”
In addition, Topousis said, NSF works to
inspire the next generation of scientists and
engineers, and the best role models are
today’s leading researchers.
The Norman workshop has provided Oklahoma
researchers and PIOs with communication tools
to help them effectively meet the increasingly
diverse communications needs of this century.
“The Development of Catalytic Ionic
Liquids for the Effective Processing
of Cellulosic Biomass”
REGIONAL FACULTY MEMBER:
Jude Abia, Northeastern State University
LAB SPONSOR:
Ruya R. Ozer, University of Tulsa
******
“The Sequencing of a Transferable,
Photosynthetic Endosymbiont”
REGIONAL FACULTY MEMBER:
Stephen Fields, East Central University
LAB SPONSOR:
Tyrrell Conway, University of Oklahoma
******
“The Development of Potent
Au-Pt Nanoparticle Catalyst for
the Selective Hydrogenation of
Acrolein to Allyl Alcohol: A Density
Functional Theory Study”
REGIONAL FACULTY MEMBER:
Doug Linder, Southwestern OSU
LAB SPONSOR:
Alberto Striolo, University of Oklahoma
******
“The Study of Virus Type and Biomass
Correlation in Panicum Virgatum”
REGIONAL FACULTY MEMBER:
Julieanna Rohde, Northeastern Okla. A&M
LAB SPONSOR:
Ulrich Melcher, Oklahoma State University
The Environmental
Microbiology and
Biotechnology Summer
Undergraduate Course will be
held July 24-August 5, 2011
on the University of Oklahoma
campus in Norman.
The program provides sopho-more
and junior undergradu-ate
students from regional
Oklahoma universities with a
two-week intensive lecture and
laboratory experience. Student
participants will be exposed
to a multitude of research
opportunities on the University
of Oklahoma campus, at OU
research sites and other facili-ties
across the state.
Students will perform field
research at the Norman
Landfill Research Site and the
Kessler Farm Field Laboratory.
State-of-the-art facilities,
including the National Weather
Center, Stephenson Research
and
Technology
Center,
and the
Sam Noble
Electron
Microscopy
facility, will provide unique lab
experiences for participants.
Dr. Bradley Stevenson,
University of Oklahoma assis-tant
professor of botany and
microbiology, will head the
program, which is designed
to immerse undergrads in a
comprehensive, collaborative
research experience.
The course is provided free
of charge to participants
through an
award from
Oklahoma
EPSCoR.
Application
materials, as
well as a detailed course infor-mation
flier, may be accessed
on the EPSCoR Web site
at www.okepscor.org. For
more information, contact Dr.
Stevenson at bradley.steven-son@
ou.edu.
Students participating in the ok epscor microbiology sumer program wil be imersed in a
colaborative research experience that includes field sampling, lectures, laboratory research, data
analysis and science comunication , acording to Dr. bradley stevenson, the program’s cordinator .
“Students will have a
total immersion
research experience.”
RESEARCH OPPORTUNITY
AWARDS
Immersion in
Research:
Environmental
Microbiology and
Biotechnology Summer
Program
1 Environmental Microbiology
AND Biotechnology Sumer
Undergraduate Course
July 24-August 5, 2011
University of Oklahoma, Norman
www.okepscor.org 2 women in science conference
October 4, 2011
Science Museum Oklahoma, OKC
www.okepscor.org
3 supercomputing symposium
October 11-12, 2011
University of Oklahoma, Norman
www.symposium2011.oscer.ou.edu 4 nsf epscOr national conference
October 24-27, 2011
Coueur d’Alene, Idaho
www.nsfepscor2011.org
5 research day at the capitol
March 15, 2011
State Capitol of Oklahoma, OKC
www.okepscor.org
REU Awards : sumer research experiences for uNDERGRADS
More than 625 women entre-preneurs
gathered to “Join the
Entrepreneurial Revolution” at
the second Women Entrepreneurs
Inspire Conference at the Cox
Convention Center on April 5 in
Oklahoma City.
The conference was designed
to encourage women to pursue
their passions, think big and
turn their dreams into reality by
exploring the unique challeng-es
and demands women face
when creating and expanding
their own business ventures.
“Entrepreneurship is the key to
revitalizing Oklahoma’s econo-my,
and women are leading the
charge,” said Nola Miyasaki,
Norman C. Stevenson chair
and director for OSU’s Riata
Center. “Today, an estimated
50 percent of small businesses
are owned by women, and for
the past two decades women-owned
firms have grown at
twice the rate of all other firms.
WE Inspire 2011 was an excit-ing
opportunity for inspiration,
networking and tapping into
the participants’ entrepreneurial
potential. The energy and the
networking that went on at this
event were truly amazing.”
The conference included an
introduction by Oklahoma
Governor Mary Fallin, 30 pre-sentations
from leading women
entrepreneurs across the conti-nent.
Attendees participated in
breakout sessions on technol-ogy
and social entrepreneur-ship,
and hands-on sessions
that examined a range of prac-tical
issues to enable women
to act on their ambitions,
Miyasaki said. The breakouts
included two tracks: start-up
and growth. The start-up track
focused on creating ventures,
while the growth track empha-sized
ways to grow existing
ventures. Twenty one exhibitors
hosted booths at the conference.
Miyasaki said the conference
was a motivating event that
hopefully helped Oklahoma
businesswomen find the cour-age
to create goals and pursue
their dreams.
“Courage is in many ways the
foundation of entrepreneurial
success,” Miyasaki said. “It
enables us to take a leap of
faith, to believe in ourselves and
to keep going when times are
tough. For women entrepreneurs,
finding courage and using it to
dream big dreams and to follow
those dreams will be the key to
starting new businesses and to
growing bigger and more vibrant
businesses in Oklahoma.”
The event was hosted by OSU’s
Riata Center. Sponsoring organi-zations
included the Oklahoma
Experimental Program to
Stimulate Competitive Research
(OK EPSCoR), Stillwater
National Bank, and others.
For more information, visit www.
entrepreneurship.okstate.edu/riata.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS
upcoming
events:
FACULTY MENTOR LAB SITE
Laura Bartley OU
Danielle Bellmer/Hasan Atiyeh OSU
Michael Buser/Anthony Megel OSU
Stephen Fields ECU
Scott Frazier/Ajay Kumar OSU
Friederike Jentoft/Ken Nicholas OU
Wilson Merchan-Merchan OU
Bradley Stevenson OU
Lloyd Sumner SRNF
Zeng Yu Wang SRNF
Gail Wilson OSU
STUDENT RESEARCHER
Meagan Anderson, OCCC
Sydney Herlocker, OSU
Morgan Garrison, OSU
Brent Biddy, ECU
Kylea Boyd, OSU
Alana Denning, OU
Tyler Nguyen, OU
Aaron Tyler, OU
Amanda Jantz, CU
Jennifer Wolf, OSU
Stephanie Grischkowsky, OSU
how to get involved :
4 0 5 . 7 4 4 . 9 9 6 4
ww.OKEPSCOR.ORG Because
STEM is a part
of Oklahoma’s
Future.
The Oklahoma Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research
(OK EPSCoR) was established by the National Science Foundation in 1985 to
strengthen Oklahoma’s exploration and growth in science, technology, engineer-ing
and mathematics. OK EPSCoR’s central goal is to increase the state’s research
competitiveness through strategic support of research instruments and facilities,
research collaborations, and integrated education and research programs.
This material is based on work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. EPS-
0814361. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those
of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. The Oklahoma
State Regents for Higher Education, in compliance with Titles VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964,
Executive Order 11246 as amended, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Americans with
Disabilities Act of 1990 and other federal laws and regulations, do not discriminate on the basis of race,
color, national origin, sex, age, religion, handicap, or status as a veteran in any of its policies, practices
or procedures. This includes, but is not limited to, admissions, employment, financial aid and educational
services. This publication, printed by Oklahoma Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research,
was issued by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education in September 2010, as authorized by 70
O.S. Supp. 2001, Section 3206. One thousand copies have been printed at a cost of approximately $1,300.00.
Copies have been deposited with the Publications Clearinghouse of the Oklahoma Department of Libraries.
OK EPSCoR is funded through awards from:
415 Whitehurst Hall
Stillwater, OK 74078-3032

One hundred and seven researchers,
faculty members and public informa-tion
officers from across the state
recently attended the NSF Science:
Becoming the Messenger workshop in
Norman to learn how to effectively
communicate scientific research to
individuals outside of academia. The
event was sponsored by the National
Science Foundation, Oklahoma
Experimental Program to Stimulate
Competitive Research (OK EPSCoR)
and the National Weather Center.
With funding agencies placing stronger
emphasis on broader impacts criterion and
researchers competing for a limited number
of grant dollars, it is becoming increasing
important for scientists to learn how to share
the “man-on-the-street”
relevance of their research
with citizens and legislators.
Alan I. Leshner, executive
publisher of Science maga-zine
and CEO of AAAS,
was quoted in a 2009 news
release as saying, “Issues at the intersection
of science and society—from human embry-onic
stem cell research to evolution, and from
the study of “personal” topics such as sexual
behaviors, to global climate change and
vaccine development—may also drive some
scientists to hone their presentation skills. At
the same time, a weak economy may tend to
prompt researchers and the lay public alike
to become increasingly aware of the relation-ship
between scientific capacity and national
prosperity.”
“Everyone needs a fun-damental
understanding
and comfort with science
and technology in order
to prosper in a modern
society. It’s also true that communication
between science and society must be posi-tive
and strong in order for science to thrive,”
said Leshner.
continued on page 2
A Q U A R T E R L Y N E W S L E T T E R P R O M O T I N G S T E M R E S E A R C H I N O K L A H O M A
Science: Becoming the Messenger
ROA AWARDS
Regional university
faculty members
receive Summer 2011
Research Opportunity
Awards.
IMMERSION IN
RESEARCH
Environmental
Microbiology and
Biotechnology
Summer Program
WOMEN
ENTREPRENEURS
INSPIRE
CONFERENCE
Women changing the
world, one venture at
a time.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Mark your calendars to
attend these upcoming
P2 OK EPSCoR events! Page 2
2
P3 Page 3
4
P3 Page 3
3
P2 Page 2
2
Research Connection Rc
vol. 8
spring 2011
BREAKING REPORT!
SCIENCE IN THE NEWS
continued from page 1
NSF assembled an impressive team of com-municators
and trainers at the workshop to
help members of the scientific community
become more effective messengers, including
Emmy award-winning television producer Joe
Schreiber, bestselling science author Chris
Mooney, and Buffy Cushman-Patz, NSF’s
Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellow.
Researchers attending the conference learned
how to craft a message and effectively deliver it
to a variety of audiences. Live interview training,
video production best practices, public presenta-tion
and new media skills were also highlighted.
A special breakout session for public informa-tion
officers was designed to build collabora-tion
between PIOs and NSF Public Affairs.
Seventeen researchers were invited to attend
a second day of training, where they learned
to further refine their messages and honed
skills that will enable them to talk more effec-tively
to their colleagues, public audiences and
the media. PBS television was on-site on day
two of the workshop to interview Mooney and
a researcher participant for a future broadcast.
Dana Topousis, NSF’s head of media and
public affairs, has said, “The world is changing
so much. We’re finding it ever-more important
for researchers to be able to communicate
with audiences that may not understand their
research, and to be able to speak on their
own behalf. Researchers themselves need to
be able to communicate their work to gener-ate
broad public support for their goals.”
In addition, Topousis said, NSF works to
inspire the next generation of scientists and
engineers, and the best role models are
today’s leading researchers.
The Norman workshop has provided Oklahoma
researchers and PIOs with communication tools
to help them effectively meet the increasingly
diverse communications needs of this century.
“The Development of Catalytic Ionic
Liquids for the Effective Processing
of Cellulosic Biomass”
REGIONAL FACULTY MEMBER:
Jude Abia, Northeastern State University
LAB SPONSOR:
Ruya R. Ozer, University of Tulsa
******
“The Sequencing of a Transferable,
Photosynthetic Endosymbiont”
REGIONAL FACULTY MEMBER:
Stephen Fields, East Central University
LAB SPONSOR:
Tyrrell Conway, University of Oklahoma
******
“The Development of Potent
Au-Pt Nanoparticle Catalyst for
the Selective Hydrogenation of
Acrolein to Allyl Alcohol: A Density
Functional Theory Study”
REGIONAL FACULTY MEMBER:
Doug Linder, Southwestern OSU
LAB SPONSOR:
Alberto Striolo, University of Oklahoma
******
“The Study of Virus Type and Biomass
Correlation in Panicum Virgatum”
REGIONAL FACULTY MEMBER:
Julieanna Rohde, Northeastern Okla. A&M
LAB SPONSOR:
Ulrich Melcher, Oklahoma State University
The Environmental
Microbiology and
Biotechnology Summer
Undergraduate Course will be
held July 24-August 5, 2011
on the University of Oklahoma
campus in Norman.
The program provides sopho-more
and junior undergradu-ate
students from regional
Oklahoma universities with a
two-week intensive lecture and
laboratory experience. Student
participants will be exposed
to a multitude of research
opportunities on the University
of Oklahoma campus, at OU
research sites and other facili-ties
across the state.
Students will perform field
research at the Norman
Landfill Research Site and the
Kessler Farm Field Laboratory.
State-of-the-art facilities,
including the National Weather
Center, Stephenson Research
and
Technology
Center,
and the
Sam Noble
Electron
Microscopy
facility, will provide unique lab
experiences for participants.
Dr. Bradley Stevenson,
University of Oklahoma assis-tant
professor of botany and
microbiology, will head the
program, which is designed
to immerse undergrads in a
comprehensive, collaborative
research experience.
The course is provided free
of charge to participants
through an
award from
Oklahoma
EPSCoR.
Application
materials, as
well as a detailed course infor-mation
flier, may be accessed
on the EPSCoR Web site
at www.okepscor.org. For
more information, contact Dr.
Stevenson at bradley.steven-son@
ou.edu.
Students participating in the ok epscor microbiology sumer program wil be imersed in a
colaborative research experience that includes field sampling, lectures, laboratory research, data
analysis and science comunication , acording to Dr. bradley stevenson, the program’s cordinator .
“Students will have a
total immersion
research experience.”
RESEARCH OPPORTUNITY
AWARDS
Immersion in
Research:
Environmental
Microbiology and
Biotechnology Summer
Program
1 Environmental Microbiology
AND Biotechnology Sumer
Undergraduate Course
July 24-August 5, 2011
University of Oklahoma, Norman
www.okepscor.org 2 women in science conference
October 4, 2011
Science Museum Oklahoma, OKC
www.okepscor.org
3 supercomputing symposium
October 11-12, 2011
University of Oklahoma, Norman
www.symposium2011.oscer.ou.edu 4 nsf epscOr national conference
October 24-27, 2011
Coueur d’Alene, Idaho
www.nsfepscor2011.org
5 research day at the capitol
March 15, 2011
State Capitol of Oklahoma, OKC
www.okepscor.org
REU Awards : sumer research experiences for uNDERGRADS
More than 625 women entre-preneurs
gathered to “Join the
Entrepreneurial Revolution” at
the second Women Entrepreneurs
Inspire Conference at the Cox
Convention Center on April 5 in
Oklahoma City.
The conference was designed
to encourage women to pursue
their passions, think big and
turn their dreams into reality by
exploring the unique challeng-es
and demands women face
when creating and expanding
their own business ventures.
“Entrepreneurship is the key to
revitalizing Oklahoma’s econo-my,
and women are leading the
charge,” said Nola Miyasaki,
Norman C. Stevenson chair
and director for OSU’s Riata
Center. “Today, an estimated
50 percent of small businesses
are owned by women, and for
the past two decades women-owned
firms have grown at
twice the rate of all other firms.
WE Inspire 2011 was an excit-ing
opportunity for inspiration,
networking and tapping into
the participants’ entrepreneurial
potential. The energy and the
networking that went on at this
event were truly amazing.”
The conference included an
introduction by Oklahoma
Governor Mary Fallin, 30 pre-sentations
from leading women
entrepreneurs across the conti-nent.
Attendees participated in
breakout sessions on technol-ogy
and social entrepreneur-ship,
and hands-on sessions
that examined a range of prac-tical
issues to enable women
to act on their ambitions,
Miyasaki said. The breakouts
included two tracks: start-up
and growth. The start-up track
focused on creating ventures,
while the growth track empha-sized
ways to grow existing
ventures. Twenty one exhibitors
hosted booths at the conference.
Miyasaki said the conference
was a motivating event that
hopefully helped Oklahoma
businesswomen find the cour-age
to create goals and pursue
their dreams.
“Courage is in many ways the
foundation of entrepreneurial
success,” Miyasaki said. “It
enables us to take a leap of
faith, to believe in ourselves and
to keep going when times are
tough. For women entrepreneurs,
finding courage and using it to
dream big dreams and to follow
those dreams will be the key to
starting new businesses and to
growing bigger and more vibrant
businesses in Oklahoma.”
The event was hosted by OSU’s
Riata Center. Sponsoring organi-zations
included the Oklahoma
Experimental Program to
Stimulate Competitive Research
(OK EPSCoR), Stillwater
National Bank, and others.
For more information, visit www.
entrepreneurship.okstate.edu/riata.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS
upcoming
events:
FACULTY MENTOR LAB SITE
Laura Bartley OU
Danielle Bellmer/Hasan Atiyeh OSU
Michael Buser/Anthony Megel OSU
Stephen Fields ECU
Scott Frazier/Ajay Kumar OSU
Friederike Jentoft/Ken Nicholas OU
Wilson Merchan-Merchan OU
Bradley Stevenson OU
Lloyd Sumner SRNF
Zeng Yu Wang SRNF
Gail Wilson OSU
STUDENT RESEARCHER
Meagan Anderson, OCCC
Sydney Herlocker, OSU
Morgan Garrison, OSU
Brent Biddy, ECU
Kylea Boyd, OSU
Alana Denning, OU
Tyler Nguyen, OU
Aaron Tyler, OU
Amanda Jantz, CU
Jennifer Wolf, OSU
Stephanie Grischkowsky, OSU
how to get involved :
4 0 5 . 7 4 4 . 9 9 6 4
ww.OKEPSCOR.ORG Because
STEM is a part
of Oklahoma’s
Future.
The Oklahoma Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research
(OK EPSCoR) was established by the National Science Foundation in 1985 to
strengthen Oklahoma’s exploration and growth in science, technology, engineer-ing
and mathematics. OK EPSCoR’s central goal is to increase the state’s research
competitiveness through strategic support of research instruments and facilities,
research collaborations, and integrated education and research programs.
This material is based on work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. EPS-
0814361. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those
of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. The Oklahoma
State Regents for Higher Education, in compliance with Titles VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964,
Executive Order 11246 as amended, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Americans with
Disabilities Act of 1990 and other federal laws and regulations, do not discriminate on the basis of race,
color, national origin, sex, age, religion, handicap, or status as a veteran in any of its policies, practices
or procedures. This includes, but is not limited to, admissions, employment, financial aid and educational
services. This publication, printed by Oklahoma Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research,
was issued by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education in September 2010, as authorized by 70
O.S. Supp. 2001, Section 3206. One thousand copies have been printed at a cost of approximately $1,300.00.
Copies have been deposited with the Publications Clearinghouse of the Oklahoma Department of Libraries.
OK EPSCoR is funded through awards from:
415 Whitehurst Hall
Stillwater, OK 74078-3032